Graphis dedicates this week’s photography spotlight to the works of these fine photographers

Contrasts exist in nearly all walks of life. Righteous and evil, high and low, one and negative one–these are all spectrums that exist in our mind, in one form or another. It acts as a guideline of sorts to the beliefs that occupies one’s character. Defining oneself according to these ranges is perhaps as human as we can be, an ideation that is nearly impossible to run away from. After all, humanity adores to label and define. It’s as though we are trying to tell ourselves that we do indeed all belong somewhere.

That is the moralistic viewpoints that seem to be occupying the minds of photographers Phil Marco, Lennette Newell, and Klaus Kampert. Each uses the human body and it’s inherent vulnerability and angelic tones to align itself with goodness. Phil Marco’s work La reve de vol (ABOVE) is French for “the flight dream.” It’s an ominous yet light thought, one that is showcased via the translucent angel that stands over the model’s body as she presumably dreams of a dark world in which dark clouds loom and shadowy crows glide through the sky. The dichotomy between the model and her angel and the dark thoughts that occupy her mind perhaps points to the inherent contrast between what one sees and what one is.

Lennette Newell’s equally tantalizing work, Siren & Serpent (ABOVE, LEFT) also plays with this oscillating paradigm of morality. While the model and the serpent may be the corruption of the soul, the soft pink tone of the background acts as a juxtaposition of sorts, propagating a continuous struggle between our soul, our sense of morality, and our belief in goodness.

The battle between good and bad continues with Klaus Kampert’s arresting Lucretia(ABOVE, RIGHT). The billowing blackness that consumes the model is seemingly wicked and yet her pale skin acts as a canvass of seeming “goodness” as it were, elegantly fighting off the nefarious black tar-like sheet that is fighting to consume her porcelain skin. It’s a beautiful piece of work, one that points to Kampert’s proclivity for grace.

It isn’t too late for you to see your work up here too! Submissions for Graphis’ Nudes 5 Competition run till August 7. Winners will have the opportunity to see their work published on our website, blog, newsletter, and social media platforms!